Can you lose weight by just counting calories and not workin

ejanderson

I lost 50 pounds with diet only 3 years ago. I didn't even calorie count just started trying to do better with portion control and I cut out anything with saturated fat in it for 6 months, then added it back in VERY slowly. allowing myself 2 grams per day for 3 months, then 6 grams per day for three months. After that I started wishing I was toned up and so running and later going to the gym became part of my "plan" I gained back about ten pounds a year ago, then got motivated again.

msreenivas

Yes you can, I have done it before. But my body did not change in the same ways. Before at 135 pounds I was barely in a size 10. This time when I was 135 I was in an 8 and it was loose. The difference being I now work out.

Yes I def agree....working out is crucial...I just feel incomplete on those days when I don't get to work out! There's no feeling in the world that compares to getting a real nice work out

asia_hanebach

If you don't exercise at all, there's a good chance that what the weight that you're losing is muscle and not fat, and who wants that! However hopping on a treadmill a couple of times a week sounds like exercise to me. So I wouldn't worry too much about it. The majority of weight loss comes from fixing your everyday eating habits.

LadyBeryl

Definitely. I lost weight and kept it off for years without exercising at all. Just staying under 1500 calories worked for me.

unmitigatedbadassery

Lose weight in the kitchen.

Get sexy in the gym.

Just sayin'...

Well said.

arobinson2390

I worked out 4-5 times a week from july-december 2011 and didn't lose anything! not even a pound! i got a second job in january and didn't have time to workout, i've probably worked out MAYBE 15 times since the new year, and since i started mfp i've lost 14 pounds, without working out, so it's definitely possible

kshirar

I did a weight loss program for 9 months and lost 23 lbs. In the program, you are to count calories and NOT exercise until month 5. The theory is that you will drop weight by soley reducing calories....but by month 5, you will plateau, and will need to start exercising to kick start the weight loss again.

Hope this helps!

jourelemode

like everyone else has said, if you got your calories and nutrition down you should be good. If you have 20 minutes to workout on a semi regular basis, I suggest not wasting your time on the treadmill. Just do some interval training, it'll help with your metabolism and possibly even give you a tiny bit of muscle. Try a 30sec on/15 second rest interval for 10 intervals. You don't need any special equipment. Just do some squats with your body weight, some mountain climbers, push ups with knee checks, alternate lunges, alternating muay thai knees, hindu push ups, shoulder press ( no weights needed, just do the movement), lunges again while twisting to the left or right, some supermans, jump squats etc. there are a ton of exercises you can do that will be way better than the treadmill. just get 10 exercises in each round and try to work up to doing 3 rounds with 2 mins or less rest between rounds. search youtube and you'll find lots of great routines. Marcroops makes a lot of good ones, and ones specifically for women. Good luck!

thelovelyLIZ

I lost my first 20lbs without working out, but I had a pretty bad diet then. Lots of soda, fried food, and big portions. After my diet cleaned up, I didn't start really losing weight again until I started working out. So it depends.

jillian769

Exercising is a HUGE part of losing weight, and probably the key reason I have been successful over the last 12 months...I workout a ton!!! I do the treadmill, stair stepper, weights, strength classes, Zumba and Zumba toning and it is completely transforming my body. If you don't exercise you will not be toned and you can ALWAYS tell the people that lost weight through diet alone because they look flabby!!!! Yuck!!!!

VVEXVVEX

Yep. As long as you're on a deficit you'll lose.

If you only have brief periods of time for exercise I would suggest getting a set of weights. You can power through a lot of short exercises very quickly and weight training will help you to not lose muscle at the same time you lose fat. I'd say in order of importance it's 1) eat at a deficit, 2) lift weights, and a distant distant 3) cardio.

this this this!

iamlottiebee

As everyone has said, yes you can lose weight by just counting calories, but if you want to work out at home, quietly so you don't disturb your neighbours trying searching google or youtube for at home workouts. There are 1000's available online that provide ideas for at home, no equipment required workouts that use your body weight for resistance. You can do things like high-knee running on the spot, mountain climbers, burpees, etc as cardio intervals, that kind of thing. Easy enough to do as long as you have enough floor space to lie a person down on, and no machinery means no noise for your neighbours to complain about!

Good luck

Katmckee89

I'm hoping that for right now just counting calories will help me loose weight again too. I know for a fact that switching out soda with water helps tremendously.

70davis

bump

tifarahmonteith

Yes, you will obviously lose weight, but a lot of it will be muscle loss and not fat loss!! If you want the weight that comes off to be fat and not muscle, you need to hold onto that muscle by exercising! So many people get to their goal weight only to find that they look worse because the skin kind of just hangs there loose. You need to put some muscle under that skin if you want to feel good once your goal weight is acheived!!